March 20, 2017 was World Oral Health Day. The theme this year is“Live Mouth Smart”. One smart way to reduce dental decay is to limit the quantity and frequency of free sugars in your diet.

Free sugars are those that people add to foods as opposed to sugars that occur naturally in fruits, vegetables, and milk.The World Health Organization suggests that children consume no more than 12 to 24 grams (3 to 6 teaspoons) of free sugars a day. For adults, the suggested limit is 25 to 50 grams (about 6-12 teaspoons).

A bowl of cereal: up to 8 teaspoons of added sugar

Americans lead the world in sugar consumption at an average of22 teaspoons a day!Where is all of that sugar hiding?Most often, in processed foods...including foods like salad dressings, fruit yogurts, and pasta sauces.

1 scoop of ice cream: 3 teaspoons of added sugar

1 Tablespoon of Jam: 2 teaspoons of sugar

1 tablespoon of ketchup: 1 teaspoon of sugar

​Want to learn 60 different names that sugar might be called on a label?​Visit That Sugar Film’ssite.